


sodom, south georgia

by apatheticAbsorption



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Cancer, Fluff and Angst, Heavy Angst, Loss of Parent(s), M/M, Nagito dies of lymphoma and leaves his family behind, Warriors of Hope (Dangan Ronpa) - Freeform, i made myself cry while writing this, more than once, the WoH (except monaca) are nagito and Hajime’s adopted kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:13:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27253990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apatheticAbsorption/pseuds/apatheticAbsorption
Summary: papa died smilingwide as the ring of a bellgone all star whitesmall as a wish in a well
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito
Comments: 4
Kudos: 63





	sodom, south georgia

**Author's Note:**

> This work was heavily inspired by the song “Sodom, South Georgia” by Iron & Wine.

It was hardly past lunch when Jataro and his siblings had been summoned to the principal’s office to find their uncle Souda waiting for them, still donning his work uniform, which smelled strongly of oil and gasoline, his ever-active hands fidgeting with the ends of his neon pink hair. His left cheek was sucked into his mouth as he nervously chewed on the inside of his mouth, his nails having already been bitten to the nub. Little Jataro toddled over to him, not minding the acrid smell as his small arms encircled his uncle’s knee, too small to hug him around the torso. Kazuichi forced a smile onto his face as he ruffled the boy’s hair, the pit in his stomach making it difficult for him to perform the simple task without shaking like a leaf in a storm.  
“Hey, buddy,” the mechanic choked out, gently herding the children out the front door of the school and into his well-loved pickup truck. Nagisa, being the oldest, naturally took the front seat, while his three siblings took the back row. Kotoko protested, feeling that she deserved a turn in the front seat as the second oldest. Their squabble was cut short by Masaru’s ever-excited voice.  
“Where are we goin’, Uncle?” he asked, eyes shining excitedly, “Is it someone’s birthday? Are we gonna have cake?”  
Kazuichi passed his hand over his face, trying his best not to look into his nephew’s big blue eyes, flooded with unknowing happiness at having been let out of school early. He heaved a sigh, forcing words to follow.  
“We’re going to the hospital, Papa’s not doing so hot. He wanted his family to be there, in case…” he trailed off, struggling to find the right way to break the news to the children. The three youngest children sat in confused silence, not understanding the gravity of the situation, nor knowing how their uncle intended to finish his sentence.  
Nagisa, on the other hand, immediately understood what he was going to say, and burst into loud, heart-wrenching sobs at the news. His siblings reached for him from the back seats, attempting to console their frantic brother, although still not knowing why he was so upset.  
“What’s wrong?” Jataro asked, tiny hands gripping his big brother’s sleeve.  
“Papa’s gonna die!” the blue-haired boy wailed, his normally calm facade having completely crumbled. His siblings were stunned into silence, hands still grasping onto each other.  
The rest of the car ride was filled with the children’s terrified bawling. Kazuichi’s own sniffles followed suit.

Hajime stroked the back of his husband’s hand, vision blurry from the tears clinging to his eyelashes. The too-slow beeping of the heart monitor seemed all too loud in that moment, as if it were invading what should have been a private moment. Nagito gave a tired smile behind his oxygen mask. His hair was plastered across his forehead, damp with sweat that created a sheen across his entire body. He opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by the sound of knocking at the door.  
Upon opening the door, the brunette was greeted by a quintet of sobbing family members. Nagisa was the first to rush past him, standing on his tiptoes to hug his sickly father from his position in the hospital bed, his tiny body shaking profusely as he cried into the powder blue hospital gown. Komaeda gave a sad smile at his eldest son, rubbing comforting circles into his back as best as he could in his frail state.  
Kotoko and Masaru followed, the former standing opposite of Nagisa, arms wrapped around her father’s neck, and the latter clambering up into the bed before curling into Komaeda’s side, both whimpering pitifully as they clung to him.  
Kazuichi and Hajime were the last to crowd around the bed, with a sniffling Jataro propped on Hajime’s hip. Truthfully, the blonde boy didn’t quite understand what was going on, but he felt that he should be crying too if everyone else was. His eyes lit up at the sight of Nagito, who he’d always been partial to. He leaned away from Hajime’s torso, reaching for the white-headed man.  
“Papa,” Jataro peeped, spurring a weak sob from Hajime and a chuckle from Nagito.  
“Hey, buddy. Papa’s here,” he replied, reaching back at him. Hajime plopped the boy into his lap, knowing his husband was no longer strong enough to hold him up. Knowing that their kids would never be carried or piggy-backed around by him again. He shoved his knuckles in his mouth, clenching his eyes shut and kneeling next to Nagisa. Kazuichi did the same beside Kotoko, looking just as miserable as everyone else.  
“You can’t die!” Nagisa choked out, his grip on Nagito’s chest tightening. “You can’t, Papa! Please don’t go!” Masaru and Kotoko agreed, while Jataro was fast asleep in his Papa’s lap, blissfully unaware of how dire the situation was.  
“I’m sorry, kids. If it was up to me, I’d stay here with you for an eternity and then some,” Nagito swallowed the lump in his throat, struggling to speak through his tears, “I love you all so much. I have ever since I first laid eyes on each of you, back when you first came to us. I wish I could just hold all of you and never let go,” he wiped a tear from Masaru’s eye, once more fighting the knot in his throat. “Whenever you miss me, I want you to smile, okay? As long as you remember our good times together, I’ll be watching over you. Your Daddy and Uncle are gonna take good care of you.” He let a few tears slip past his eyelids as he concluded his speech, heart pounding in his ears.  
“The doctors said he’s still got a few days left. We’re all gonna stay with him and make sure he’s comfortable, okay?” Hajime cooed at his upset children, grasping at his husband’s hand. The kids hummed in agreement, snuggling closer together and pressing kisses to Nagito’s face. 

The next three days were all too fast, yet all too slow. The family tried to stay positive despite the gloomy atmosphere hanging over their heads. Nagito had been checked out of the hospital so that he could enjoy his final days in the comfort of his own home, much to the kids’ delight. The days were filled with home-cooked meals and Papa’s favorite board games, and at night everyone cuddled up in the same bed with each other. The kids didn’t return to school, given the circumstances. Life was pleasant, despite everything.  
On the fourth night, however, came the moment they had all been dreading.  
Masaru had been startled awake by a branch clattering against the window. He snuggled closer to Nagito’s warm chest, poking him on the cheek.  
“Papa,” he whispered, poking him yet again. “Wake up. There’s a ghost.” Poke. Poke. “Papa?” Poke. Poke. Poke. “Please get up. I’m scared.” He began to shake his father’s limp body as panic set in. “Papa? Papa? PAPA, WHY AREN’T YOU WAKING UP?” Masaru sobbed, jolting the rest of his family awake in the process. Hajime joined him in trying to shake him awake, only to find that his husband wasn’t breathing.  
He was gone.

The funeral had been small, given that Nagito’s family had all passed on long ago, and most of Hajime’s had disowned him when he came out as gay. Still, it was clear that the man was loved, given the bittersweet testimonies and sad smiles flashed over his casket. Hajime’s memories of the event were faint, as though they had been chopped up and buried with his husband’s body. Like a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. He remembered how Masaru tried to pile into the casket with his Papa. Kotoko shied away from his body, remarking that it didn’t look like Papa, but more like a wax figure of him (Hajime agreed, and when he bent down to place one final kiss on his forehead, he found that the smell left from the embalming process was even worse, to the point that he feared he would be sick on his husband’s corpse.). Jataro insisted that a family portrait he had drawn be buried in the casket, “so Papa can remember us,” as he said. Nagisa looked hollow.

The following weeks were hard, for both the kids and Hajime. He had pulled them out of school to allow them time to grieve, opting instead to enroll them in online school for the time being. Hajime himself spent most of his time in the bed, curled around Nagito’s pillow, trying to savor what remained of his scent. He left his room only to care for his children, finding comfort in their sweet faces and their warm, loving hugs. He sat his own grief aside to allow time for the kids to work through their emotions. It became commonplace for Kazuichi to visit in the evenings, usually brandishing some sort of animatronic toy or video game to distract Hajime and the kids for a while. As guilty as he felt for having fun so soon after his husband had passed, he began to hope that the game nights with his best friend wouldn’t fade away with time.  
Nagisa naturally understood the situation the best out of his siblings, being the eldest by several years. Unfortunately, with this understanding came grief that was more intense than any of the other kids’. Every few nights, he’d crawl into bed with his only remaining parent, whimpering pleads of _don’t leave me alone, Daddy_. Hajime would kiss him on the forehead and pull him close, assuring him that he wasn’t going anywhere. Nagisa’s nightmares would convince him otherwise, replaying memories of Masaru screaming for Nagito to wake up and desperately trying to shake life back into his empty body. Nagisa would cover his ears and bury his face in his knees, only to find Hajime in a similar condition when he opened his eyes. After years of living with his abusive biological parents, followed by six months of being tossed around from foster home to foster home, he was absolutely crushed by the loss of one of the only two loving parents he had ever had, and was terrified of losing the other.  
Kotoko didn’t understand it quite as well. She would often get upset when parts of their usual routine reminded her of Nagito’s absence, such as the emptiness of the man’s chair at the dinner table or the fact that he was no longer there to brush her hair in the mornings. She would sometimes leave notes for Nagito on the fridge, most of which contained pleads for his return and _we love and miss you, Papa_ s. She jumped at the opportunity to leave her notes on his grave the next time they visited.  
Masaru asked a lot of questions. He worried that Nagito would get cold or hungry under the ground, and when Hajime explained that dead people don’t eat or feel things like cold, Masaru would sit in silence, upset but not fully understanding why.  
Jataro’s reaction was the most upsetting to Hajime. He didn’t at all understand why Nagito hadn’t returned after the funeral, and had taken it to mean that he was mad at him. He would often draw pictures for his Papa, and upon remembering that he was gone, he’d run to Hajime to ask if he could give it to him when he came home. Hajime would try to explain that he wasn’t coming back, only for Jataro to start sniffling, under the impression that Papa didn’t love him anymore. Hajime would assure him that Nagito still loved him very much, and he couldn’t come back home, but he would if he could. Those conversations would often result on a fussy toddler being on his hip for the rest of the night, still clutching the picture in one of his little fists.  
Many nights concluded as this one did, with the five of them snuggled up on the couch, having fallen asleep after watching one of their favorite animated movies. Hajime would drift off into a blissful sleep, feeling the warmth and weight of all four of his children on top of him. He would smile as he slipped away for the night, feeling a bit of reprieve from the grief.  
They’d learn to live without him one day. To live for him.  
He’d always visit Nagito in his dreams.


End file.
